Google’s Android platform definition is being stretched to include Chinese rivals, including China Mobile’s Ophone and Tapas OS, a project run by the former president of Google China, reports Appleinsider.

“A report by Canalys yesterday claimed that Google Android platform had taken the top spot in global smartphone platforms worldwide, edging in front of Nokia and making up about a third of all smartphones globally.

However, the report’s numbers included a footnote saying the “Google numbers” “relate to Android, as well as the OMS and Tapas platform variants.”

In reference to these “variants,” John Gruber of the Daring Fireball wrote today, “Are things like maps, email, search, and advertising served through Google? Or do they come from Chinese companies? Put another way, are OMS and Tapas variants of Android, or separate platforms forked from Android?””